Notes / Commercial Description:
This robust Coffee Stout is a mouthful of flavor! A dark, roasty grain bill stands as the backdrop for a galaxy of coffee aroma and flavor, made possible by local organic bean roasters Dynamite Roastery. A Pisgah fan favorite, Valdez is brewed bi-annually and never lasts as long as the flavor.

Appears clear and black with the darkest head I've seen on a stout. Smells like an Irish Coffee, missing only the more vanilla notes. Tastes nutty with mildly roasted coffee shining through. Very dry. A little harsh in the end and would benefit from a little aging. This is a great beer that deserves it's place in the top 10 IS's. Well done.

Appearance: Into a wide-mouthed goblet, no coffee mug on hand unfortunately. A pitch black body with two fingers of dark tan foam. Head retention is great, leaving rings of lace as my glass empties. Great looking stuff.

Smell: Smells like a bag of freshly roasted coffee. There's a bit of roasted malt in there as well, but not much gets past the coffee aroma. I might be getting a hint of caramel as it warms, but maybe I'm trying too hard.

Taste & mouthfeel: Coffee. Pretty much just coffee. This doesn't so much taste like a coffee stout as it tastes like a cup of coffee with a little beer in it. Malt is faintly present, but this is very dry stuff. Fortunately for this beer it's got a great coffee character, like a freshly brewed shot of espresso, not overly bitter or acidic. The coffee flavor even lingers on throughout the dry finish, it's the first thing tasted and also the last. Is it one-dimensional? Maybe. Is it good? Definitely. I'm sure some people won't enjoy this, it really depends on how much you enjoy coffee. As for myself, I could drink a ton of this stuff and not get sick of it.

Appearance: This beer looks like coffee. A nice head of froth - latte-esque, fine-bubbled, beige, tan, chocolate, creamy, milky, frothy, foamy - settles and sticks around for quite some time.

Aroma: Perhaps the most authentic freshly ground coffee smell I've ever gotten out of a beer. It's the perfect medium-to-full roast, but that's not all there is. There's sweet, milky chocolate notes, hints of

Taste: I think I detect a hint of coffee in this beer. But seriously, wow. A really great, strong earthy coffee note - no, not a note, a really great, strong earthy coffee backbone, foundation, basis. There're grassy notes, light citrus notes, and tons of roast, dirt, and light smoke. "Coffee-tastic." Pungent, too - I could smell it halfway across the room.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied, oily, milky, creamy, smooth, medium-bubbled. A little too big-bodied and fluffy, perhaps, but it works well with the light, delicate nature of the taste and the low alcohol content. Not cloying, sticky, or filmy, but very clean and crisp.

Drinkability: A fantastic all-around coffee beer, and the low abv% makes it even more drinkable. It's crisp, fresh, tasty, refreshing, AND it's organic ... what's not to love? Seriously though, it's one of the most authentic smelling/tasting coffee beers I've ever had the privilege of, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys their morning coffee strong with a half cream/half sugar. Very well made and very enjoyable.

A: Pours dark, dark brown out of the bottle and settles pitch black in the glass with a massive three-finger tan head that shows great retention and lacing.

S: Coffee, coffee and more coffee. There is more than a hint of dark roasted malts underlying the coffee but the aroma of freshly ground coffee steals the shows in the this one.

T: The taste is also big on the coffee, but with a very slight bitterness in the finish. The dark malts are more evident than in the aroma, but the sweet roasted coffee shine through again. If you like coffee, you'll love this stuff.

M: Creamy and medium bodied mouthfeel with tons of carbonation that just leaves your mouth tingling with that cup-of-joe taste throughout.

D: If reviewing this beer as a imperial stout, it may be the most drinkable I've ever had in the style. I tend to think of it more of a stout and a half instead of a double, but it's damn fine stuff either way. Highly recommended!

After all the hype I thought I'd better throw in my two bits. Fresh outta Pisgah in new 750ml bottle form, I grabbed a few of these the day they hit shelves in Asheville and drank one a few days later.

A. The bottle disgorges a fat, 2 finger tall frothy tan head and a jet-black, opaque brew. Looks like, well, coffee. You'll tire of hearing that word by the end of the review, trust me. Over time the head subsides down to a few centimeters and leaves a few tidbits of lace behind. Lots of white yeast globs settle to the bottom of my glass. A bottle conditioned coffee stout?
Yes please!

S. Just... coffee. Rich, yet restrained and non-acidic coffee. Char, earth, cocoa, roasted malt and java. Some malt sweetness comes through but this is coffee all the way. Intense and clean, this is a real winner.

T. Coffee delight. Sweet and roasty and dare I say, mellow. Exceptionally well done, but rather one-note. If you like your morning joe you'll LOVE this.

D. Quite high for what it is. Valdez is light (at only 6.8%) and avoids the harsh espresso / burnt roast character that many coffee Imperial stouts boast. Instead, this is a flavorful, yet medium bodied coffee stout that remains terribly drinkable. Reminded me a great deal of Allagash Black in that it was purposely subdued to great effect.

Valdez is another hit from the mad brewers at Pisgah. This is one of the best coffee beers I've had, ever. Seek it out if you're a devotee of the noble bean!

Have to make note here of the bottle from Batch number three that I was able to enjoy a few times already in the last couple of days. THis maybe my all time favorite beer. Just has literally everything you could ask for and more. Rich decadent looking dessert, deep dark chcolate color with a towering head of fine tan. Slight reduction with time still elaves a copious amount of spider like side glass lace and lots of rocky crown.

The aroma is simply wonderful. A drop dead, drag out coffee knockout. Rich notes of sweet coffee are just all over this. It really is the best of both worlds here. Nice touches of sweet molasses in the finish that starts to become bitter and leaves you with more coffee then beer taste as you go through.

Having had the chance now to try this one each time it comes out from various different sources, I am thrilled to see this one go back to the roots. THis is like liquid heaven to me. I would honestly take this over pretty much any other beer I have ever had, and the fact that it is now bottled, just makes it even easier. Kudos to Dave and Jason for this one again, I know they get sick of hearing it from me, but this one is my crack. This is the reason I drink beer.

Jet black in colour, effervescent head that died quickly with essentially no lacing throughout. Aromas strong of roasted coffee and some malt tones. Not much else. The coffee flavor was pretty dominant. Not a bad thing. But there really was little else. Slight roasted flavor to play with the coffee notes, but not much else.

Pours a dark opaque brown, almost black, some red, thick medium brown head forms, decent lacing. Smell is coffee, oats, caramel, some chocolate, more coffee, biscuity bread coffee elixir. Taste is similar, tons of coffee and chocolate, coffee roast, big malty middle, grains and oats, big coffee finish, very smooth and very drinkable, no rough edges on this guy. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with low carbonation, goes down easy. Probably the last coherent review I'll get from that evening, fantastic use of coffee in this one. Thanks Russ!

drinkability is great. nicely balanced. lots of chocolate and coffee. i think you really need to like coffee to appreciate this one. at times the coffee does overshadow the stout beneath, but overall i'm happy with it. it reminds me of mill street coffee porter, but at a slight level above. good stuff!

Coffee hit me first, coupled with roast. Not much in the way of sweet in the nose of this one. Maybe a hint of caramel.

More bitter than sweet, as a product of the coffee and roast. Hopping is pretty minimal, maybe a bit of grass. As with smell, not much sweet came through for me, just a bit of toffee. Looked for fruit, but didn't find much.

Mouthfeel was medium, felt kinda thin. Carbonation was low. Dry.

Good flavor, particularly if you like coffee. Thinner than I expected, especially with a name like Valdez. Pretty good stout, but better ones out there if you are looking for the coffee variety.

I had this beer quite awhile ago and I'm just now getting around to reviewing it. Thanks very much to Brickstoredave and RustyDiamond for the chance to try it. I'm a big fan of the bigger beers from Pisgah, and this beer doesn't disappoint. It's very good. That being said, It's not my absolute favorite RIS, or even coffee stout, but it is very nice.

Pours black with fairly light carbonation and head- I'll chalk that up to the growler. The aroma is all coffee, coffee, coffee, with just a touch of dry malt in the background to support the coffee. This is very much a black coffee tasting stout- no cream here to lighten the experience. As much as I like that, I think a little creaminess brings out more of the chocolate notes found in coffee and balances some of the acids and tannins. The flavor has some of those nice chocolate and earthy characteristics of a good cup of Sumatra, and obviously good quality coffee was used. I'm always amazed at coffee and chocolate stouts that skimp on the quality of these additions- they should be the best available. There is a slight burst of acidity at the finish that I ould have wanted to see a bit tempered, but overall more flavors of laser like coffee. A bit of a one-note wonder, but what a nice note! Very smooth and drinkable and the coffee flavors are huge, but the overall body could be a bit more robust and the flavors could be a bit more varied, otherwise its another success from this great brewery.

Wow, who likes coffee? Pours a midnight black with a huge three finger brown head that stays and stays. Nice webbing left on the sides of the glass. Smell is sweet caramel, espresso, and coffee grinds. Definitely a sweet smelling coffee beer for sure, but by far one of the most enjoyable. This is organic? Taste is actually pretty different from the smell. More of a bitter coffee flavor up front with cocoa and cane sugar. Gets sweeter towards the end with a caramel malt and coffee ice cream sweetness. But really, this is organic? Creamy mouth with the slightest hop sting. Dry in the aftertaste with some smokey notes. Wow, this beer is complex with many different flavor levels. Fortunately I was able to share the wealth with a buddy of mine and he agreed with me on how good this beer really is. Mike, thank you so much for the opportunity to try this beer. I can't believe I have three of their bottles right now just waiting to be enjoyed. This beer is amazing, plain and simple. They really need to bottle this next time around.

I'm sure I have drank more of this stuff than anyone else, except for maybe Dave and Jason. As one fine beer advocate put it "this is all I'd need to go camping!" and that sums it up! This is amazing stuff that needs to be brewed year round!!!

t - espresso and dark chocolate as on the nose, bitterness and sweetness nicely balanced, mid-palate has more bitter chocolate and espresso with some blueberries thrown in, finish kind of falls off in intensity, but espresso and dark chocolate flavors linger lightly on the palate for quite awhile, along with a cola flavor, not much alcohol detectable

m - medium-bodied, a bit too light bodied for my taste, but not by much, moderate carbonation, finish is well balanced on the palate

d - pretty drinkable for a coffee stout, taste is balanced and complex, relatively easy on the palate, alcohol doesn't overwhelm at all

Excellent coffee stout all around from Pisgah. It'd be nice if they made this a regular release.

Much is owed to atsprings for the share.
Growler poured into a brandy snifter.

A semi-vigorous pour forms a voluminous head, two inches off the dark body and excellently retained. Head color is a tan-custard hue, and the foamy mass looks solid enough to pluck out of the snifter and throw it across the room. Body is pitch black and opaque, although some transparency is evident when the snifter is tipped and held up to the light. The aroma is equally as enticing, packed with notes of fresh-baked cookie dough, gingerbread, caramel-infused coffee, and fresh ground coffee beans.

Valdez lives up to its name, as it coats the palate with an oily-thick, utterly creamy body that requires substantial chewing with every sip. The flavor is like lukewarm, creamy coffee that has been deliciously fermented. Hazlenut roast rounds out the malt profile, while a perfect bitter coffee bite leaves a lasting impression. The drinkability of Valdez is superior for its style. The complexiy and flavor are almost unparalled (although Big Boss' Coffee Stout runs a close second), and as the beer warms it becomes increasingly delicious. A must try for beer-lovers everywhere.

Pours a nice jet black with a decent tan head that diminishes to a lasting thin layer. Aroma is dominated by fresh ground coffee, just a hint of chocolate tries to poke through, but really cannot surpass the coffee at all. The taste is a coffee lovers dream. As others had said in their reviews, it's almost hard to tell that this is beer. The mouth has a great dryness and is very smooth with only a slight alcohol presence. This is an absolutely spectacular beer, another great one from the guys at Pisgah.

Kinda light for a stout in appearance. Thin white head. The nose is intense coffee. Starbucks. Hard to believe this is beer. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied at best. Tastes like coffee, with a roasty bitter finish. Fascinating for what it is, but almost difficult to compare against other stouts. Unique for sure.

A growler shared with Deuane, ClockworkOrange and JohnnyM2002 among others.

A: The stout is a dark cola brown color, almost indistinguishable from black. The growler, despite being wrapped in electrical tape, had lost a good bit of carbonation, so little if any head arose on the multiple pours.

S: The nose is a delicious coffee aroma, a chocolate infused aroma with touches of acrid bitterness. The beer is basically coffee with touches of stout added for good measure. The aroma is tough to beat.

T: The first sip is a rich coffee blast. The java flavor in this beer is damned near the strongest that I've had (and I've had Coffee Bender, Central Waters Coffee Stout and WnB). There is little to suggest that this is a stout, the focus throughout is the deliciously bitter coffee flavor. The coffee flavor lingers long after the sip is gone. And did I mention that the stout has a strong coffee flavor?

M: The coffee flavor is strong but beyond that the taste is rather thin. There is little stout body to back up the arabica beans. A vinous finish would have sealed the deal as a beer d'ambrosia.

D: I stayed close to this growler for as long as it lasted. If you like coffee in your stout, this is a must try.

EDIT:
A second growler resulted in a much thicker, fuller head. The subtle stout flavors also became more evident through the coffee. As a result, Appearance went from 4 to 4.5 and Drinkability went from 4 to 4.5.

This beer is absolutly outstanding. A nice deep black with a tan head. The smell is like a pot of fresh coffee brewing. The taste is like a gourmet blend from the downtown coffee house. Mouthfeel is smooth and drinkability os wonderfull as well. This beer continues Pisgah's upward swing in NC brewing. The next time I have this brew I may add a litte cream and sugar. Great job Pisgah!!

Pours a semi-thick black with big coffee colored head, with a great fall leaving a nice burnt orange/tan colored head, some retention and ok lacing. Smells big of chocolate when cold, but lots of coffee otherwise, also some licorice and roasted malt scents. Tastes like a coffee-holics dream with an overload of that magic coffee bean. Creamy cappuccino, milk chocolate, espresso, and bitter fresh roasted coffee with a nice hop finish. Medium in body, creamy and smooth with good carbonation, hides alcohol well. If you like coffee stouts, this is as good as it gets, extremely drinkable. Wish it was proper to start off every morning with a pint of this!

A big, BIG thanks to Deuane for hooking me up with of growler of this on a recent trip down to Asheville.

Pours an inky deep black (just like a cup o' Joe) with a 1/2 finger of creamy burnt mocha (it almost appears red at times) colored head. It retains into a beautiful looking ring with some wisps around the center that left thick swathes of lace as it swirls around in the glass. The aroma is duh, COFFEE! And lots of it! A straight up zippy mix of espresso, coffee grounds, and a little residual sweetness in the background.

The taste is COFFEE, COFFEE, and more COFFEE! It's just lush with roasty notes coffee up front that is balanced out by some sticky chocolate sweetness in the backend. There is also just the slightest amount of bitterness in the finish that lets it end with a nice pop. The mouthfeel has a fantastic smooth and creamy feel to it. Almost like imbibing some caffeinated concoction that you would get at a Star Bucks or Dunkin Donuts. Only better!

Wow, this has to seriously be one of the best Coffee Beers out there. It just tastes so much like drinking a cup, it's ridiculous. I really appreciate the ever so slight but highly effective sweetness character that comes out, balances the dry roasted bitterness, and makes this just a pleasure to drink. I split this growler with a couple of other folks and we agreed that it really is a work of art for what it is. Well done Pisgah!

I had this on tap at Pisgah and again at Barley's (and I bought a growler for later.) It is pitch black in color with a long-lasting tan head, and it is full of aroma from freshly dark-roasted coffee beans. If I could rate aroma at a 6.5 on the scale of 1-5, I would.

On each sip, coffee flavors fill the mouth. There is very little hop bitterness, nor is there much in the way of creamy sweetness. It really is the epitome of coffee beer, balanced in such a way that it is a session beer for any coffee lover.